Life is but a Dish

Easy, approachable recipes for the everyday home cook

Mom’s Best Banana Bread

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I’m one of those lucky girls who happens to come from a long line of amazing cooks. 

Between my mom, grandmothers, aunts, and close family friends, I’ve been set up for success in the kitchen.  When I think of my mom in the kitchen, her banana bread always comes to my mind first.

It’s so her.  It’s so good.  It’s my mom’s best banana bread.

And there’s not even any butter!  So it’s basically a health bread, right?  This banana bread rules.  I promise.

To me, banana bread just isn’t the same without the sweet addition of chocolate chips.  It’s kind of like peanut butter and jelly.  A peanut butter sandwich on its own is good, don’t get me wrong ~ but adding the jelly just makes your taste buds sing, Halleluuuuuujah!

I’m partial to the mini chips. They’re just so darn cute.  And can we take a minute to discuss the sheer volume of mini chips that I have somehow INHALED during the baking process?  I really should just buy two bags.  One for the recipe, and one to eat while making the recipe.  It’s embarrassing.

Okay, moving on.

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I. Love. Bread.  Like, pretty much any kind of bread.  I’ll make an excuse to eat bread any time of day, all day, every day.  My mom makes this rock star banana bread that I have come to make my own.  It’s light, fluffy, and just freaking delicious.  Every time I eat it, I’m reminded of home.  I can eat an entire loaf in one sitting.

Seriously.

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And sometimes (all the time) I eat it too fast and I get this thing my sister and I call “bread throat” where it feels like you have WAY too much bread trying to go down the pipes at one time, and it hurts really, really bad!  But oh man, it tastes so good, so you just keep going.

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It’s just my fave.  Period. The end.

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Thanks mom!

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Mom’s Best Banana Bread

★★★★★ 5 from 27 reviews
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Description

The most delicious, light and fluffy banana bread you’ll ever taste. 

Scale

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup avocado oil (or any flavorless oil like coconut, or veg oil)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 3/4 – 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the oil, sugar, and eggs until thoroughly combined and fluffy.
  2. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. In three additions, add the dry ingredients to the wet, being careful not to over-mix.
  3. Add the milk, vanilla, and bananas and combine until just mixed. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter equally into two greased loaf pans. Then bake for about 45-50 minutes.

Notes

This also makes great muffins. Just reduce baking time to 20-25 minutes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. I’ve got some bananas that are going bad FAST, so what do I do? Search through my bookmarks for a recipe I was sure I had saved. Couldn’t find one, so of course, I search through Foodgawker for 10 recipes and start narrowing it down. I’m reading yours, and I go “Who gets bread throat? Who actually eats anything that fast?” (I have a slightly irrational fear of not being able to breathe because something is blocking my air passageways.) Anyways, a few mins passed and I settle on your recipe and another, with yours serving as the main point of reference. Muffins came out perfect, and while it was still nice and warm, I grab one, and immediately start gobbling it down. Of course, I got bread throat. Didn’t even care! Laughed off the irony and tried to push more down my greedy throat.

    BTW your pictures are great, and really help seal the deal when it comes to choosing a recipe. I was able to compare things like batter consistency to make sure I wasn’t making a mess – figuratively 🙂

    Reply

    • OMG Kristiana, this had me laughing out loud! Welcome to the “bread throat” club:) Isn’t it the worst? But you can’t help yourself and keep going! I’m so glad you found my recipe and that you liked it! And thank you so much for the pictures compliment, it truly means a lot 🙂 I hope you continue to find inspiration! xoxo

  4. Omg im laughing so hard about the bread throat first of all. Second i have been meaning to ask you for this recipe for so long! I can remember eating the whole loaf at your house in one sitting…..best banana bread ever!!!!

    Reply

  6. Thank you for this recipe! My sons love banana bread and I decided to double the recipe. Just finished baking 1 loaf and 24 muffins. I didn’t have a “to go recipe”, well now things have changed 🙂

    Reply

  8. Would it be possible to switch out the all purpose flour with gluten free flour in the same proportion? Thanks this looks delish!

    Reply

  9. I made this and it was amazing! I doubled the recipe and made a large bread loaf and 12 full size muffins. It was so delicious that I had to give it away to two different families to save my family from eating it all in two days!! The other families loved it too!

    ★★★★★

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  11. Hi, so excited to try this recipe! Do you have any idea if I would be able to substitute maple syrup instead of sugar, and how that would affect baking time ?
    Thanks !

    Reply

    • Hmmm, I think it would really affect the whole recipe with taste to texture. Not sure if it would change baking time, but if you want a healthier sugar option try coconut sugar!

  13. Instead of avocado oil, can I use melted butter? Not sure if that beats the whole purpose of this being healthy? lol

    Reply

  14. I only had one bread pan so dumped it all in there and added about 20 minutes to baking time. Mega loaf turned out lovely!

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  16. I just made this bread over the weekend and you are right… It is the BEST!I have to admit, I tend to google “best banana bread” every time I have over ripe bananas. But after following you on IG for several months, I decided to look up your recipe. Once I read “bread throat”, I knew I was in! It’s so moist and delicious – the perfect balance! I opted out of the chocolate chips, but I will try the next time I have some ripe bananas. This is now a staple in our house… Please thank your mama!

    ★★★★★

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  17. I’ve been following Life is But a Dish on Instagram for about 2 years now, and this was the first recipe I’ve made from her (literally just made it right now.) I am over the moon with the results! I didn’t realize you needed two loaf pans, which I do not have, so I just used a larger 8×8 pan with some trepidation…and it worked! Took a little longer to bake but it is still a delicious banana bread. Full banana flavor without being overly sweet. Will definitely make this again when I have ripe bananas!

    ★★★★★

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  19. Love this recipe!! I was hoping to turn it into 4 mini loaves. Any idea on what the time would be? I was thinking of using the time you posted for the muffins. Any thoughts?

    ★★★★★

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  20. HI!! Can I use olive oil for the banana bread? I don’t have any other oil in the house right now. Do you think it would be too strong a flavor? Thanks!

    Reply

    • You can but it might be slightly strong in flavor. My mom does it and loves it, I prefer a mild oil

  22. This is the best banana bread ever! We go to a family ski house on the weekends and this is my contribution every weekend. Just put a loaf in the oven for this weekends trip. It’s a crowd favorite, thank you!!❤️

    ★★★★★

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  24. Love this. I have had multiple people tell me that it is the best banana bread they have ever had and I would have to agree. I use Cup4Cup Gluten Free flour, as a replacement, and there were no issues and no one commented on a weird taste. I prefer bigger pieces of banana so I don’t mash them as much. I also don’t like chocolate (gasp!!) so I left out the chips. Still soooooo good. WIll be make 12 more mini loafs for the holiday and plan to make some of the banana carrot bread as well.

    ★★★★★

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  26. I don’t think I will make this again because I cannot stop eating it!!! So delicious thank you for sharing.

    ★★★★★

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  27. Moms best banana bread is 10000000% accurate! I finally had 3 perfectly ripe bananas to make this recipe and it did NOT disappoint. I save tried numerous banana bread recipes and they were always just okay. Laneys recipe is seriously the best. I like to keep my banana bread in the fridge and this bread tastes AMAZING cold! I made one plain and one with pecans and chocolate chips….oh my!!! I find myself snacking on it all day! Do yourself a huge favor and make this!

    ★★★★★

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  28. Okay, this recipe is legit. I am (ahem very) picky when it comes to baked goods. This is the best banana bread I have made. Usually the bread is too dense or too sweet or not bananany enough for me. But i have made this twice this week because it’s so good. I made muffins both times for portion control reasons and then freeze and keep them in the freezer. Microwave for 30 seconds and it’s like they’re fresh from the oven. Oh, and add some nuts 😉

    ★★★★★

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  30. OMG this is the best banana bread ever!! I’ve made this recipe twice now in a matter of four days. We can’t stop eating it. I delivered a loaf to my mom and she can’t stop raving about it. She said it’s delicious with her morning coffee. Thanks for a great recipe!!

    Reply

  34. We made this as our “coronavirus now we home school banana bread” and it made us all so happy!!!! We had planned to share with the neighbors then realized we need it all to ourselves. Love love

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  35. The best banana bread ever! I love this recipe. I have two loaves in the oven as I type this. I made the mistake and used a cup of avocado oil this time around. I’m hoping it turns out okay.

    ★★★★★

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  38. So good! I used whole wheat flour and just reduced the amount by a couple tablespoons, and used 3/4 cup sugar which I think I’ll reduce to 1/2 cup next time. I used a mini loaf pan and they are just the cutest most delicious things! What a good recipe and will definitely be my new go-to!

    Reply

  40. This was exactly what we needed during quarantine!! Ended up making muffins instead of bread and they were excellent!! SOOOO soft and delicious . Cannot say enough good things about this recipe!

    ★★★★★

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  41. Is it possible to substitute milk for almond milk? We rarely keep milk in the house but I need to try this recipe!!

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  42. I made this gluten and dairy free and it’s sooo yummy! Thanks to you and your mom for a great recipe!!

    ★★★★★

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  43. Hi Laney! Since I’m home so much lately (Quarantine Life), I want to try making this finally. Can I make this recipe without baking soda? Should I double the baking powder? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi! I wouldn’t double the baking powder. You could try and just leave it out!

  44. Have you ever heard someone say, “I have the best banana bread recipe” so you then will try it out but you come to the conclusion that it tastes just like any other banana bread, because same! Well that is how I felt before trying this recipe. I thought, could this recipe really be any better than my go to recipe or Trader Joe’s box mix (big fan of TJ’s). But I am here to say YES this recipe is better. I am not sure why it is better because there isn’t any crazy methods to it or any random ingredients but it is just SO good. It has quickly grown into a new family favorite. We will now have to get two bundles of bananas, one to eat normally and then the second for banana bread!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • THIS IS EVERYTHING!!! Thank you for this glowing review. We feel the same

  45. Incredible. I made this for the first time today and made them into muffins. I’ve had 3 in the matter of an hour. So good. So easy. Thank you for such an easy, good, go to recipe!

    ★★★★★

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  46. This is my favorite banana bread recipe to make. I sub almond flour and it’s still delicious. Thank you, Laney!

    ★★★★★

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  47. I have a bunch of bananas that are super ripe and want to make this. Have you ever kept a loaf in the freezer? Would you freeze in pieces or individual slices? Looks delish!!

    Reply

  48. I finally managed to hide enough bananas from my family to try this recipe. It was absolutely perfect! Thanks so much for a delicious treat!

    ★★★★★

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  49. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this since I first came across the recipe last December! It is my go to recipe that I’ve shared with everyone, and I love that it’s easily made dairy free. I always use melted coconut oil and almond milk, and I’ve tried with bread flour and all-purpose and it works great (maybe slightly fluffier with bread flour). I’ve also found my favorite way to bake is in two 8×8 pans for about 22-28 minutes.
    Anyway, thanks for sharing this recipe that my family and friends have come to love! I actually just made it again tonight!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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